Perception
by Kaminohana
Summary: Takao Kazunari studied for five years to become a nurse, and finally he made it. What kept him going was the approaching possibility to see his other half again, Midorima Shintarou. As if it was by fate or sheer luck, they get brought together again as colleagues. Folded feelings will unfold and a whole new life for them both awaits...
1. Chapter 1

_The sun shone at its highest on the cloud-free blue sky, giving light and warmth to every part of Tokyo the sunrays could reach. Students of Shuutoku High walked through the gate to the school grounds, everyone heading for the main entrance. The cherry blossoms were soon about to bloom once again, and it was just a matter of time before its flower pedals would fly in the wind again. Sadly, this was a sight the third years would never be able to see again._

 _The players of Shutoku basketball team – also known as one of the Three Kings of Tokyo, had gathered in the gym. It was a moment filled with all kinds of emotions. It was, the yearly farewell to the third years who would today graduate._

 _All the first and second years, both benchwarmers and main players, had gathered around the graduating teammates. Midorima Shintarou and Takao Kazunari stood among them, where Shintarou had a light blush tainted on his cheeks and Kazunari grinned widely from ear to ear. Ironically enough, it was the younger students that cried. Their sniffling and sobbing filled the gym with a downhearted atmosphere as if they just had lost a game. For them, it was just like that; they were losing two of their most powerful and important players._

 _After the short speeches and awkward hugs, the time had reached 11am. Everyone began to slowly walk towards doors leading to the other gym, where the ceremony was held. Shintarou followed right behind the others, until he noticed that someone was missing. He stopped and turned around to look for his raven-haired friend. Shintarou's green orbs traced the area, and it didn't take him long before he spotted him in the far end of the gym._

 _Kazunari stood a few feet away from the hoop and looked almost lost as he gazed at it from below. His black locks of hair were brushed away from his face and fell down on the sides of his head. His lips were firm, but you could still see a hint of a small smile._

" _Shin-chan, do you remember… when we first meet?" Kazunari asked, his voice cracking._

 _Shintarou's eyes softened at the memory. "Yes."_

 _Kazunari chuckled. "I remember you shooting at this hoop, you didn't even notice after I had been standing there for several minutes, and I remember you were so annoyed when I called you 'Shin-chan'."_

" _Takao." Shintarou suddenly said, his voice firm and hard._

" _Hm?" Kazunari tilted his head to look at the taller one and he smirked when he saw that his words had made Shintarou embarrassed._

" _The ceremony."_

" _Yea, yea, I know."_

 _The graduation was just as boring and slow moving as Kazunari expected. Several times, Kazunari was dangerously close to falling asleep. He would, if it wasn't for Shintarou continuously shaking him in an attempt to keep him awake._

 _When it was their class' turn, row after row of students stood up and slowly walked towards the podium, where their homeroom teacher and principal stood proudly. The principal called up each students name alphabetically, and the said student had to walk forward to receive their diploma._

" _Midorima Shintarou." The principal said out loudly through the speakers._

 _Shintarou took a step forward. "Yes!" His face was close to be as red as a tomato from the increasing pressure from the whole audience's eyes on him. However, his posture was straight and his expression was serious as he got the diploma in his hands. He bowed deeply and walked back to the line. Kazunari held a hand over his mouth, trying desperately to hold back his laughter. Shintarou sent him cold glare before he stood at his side._

" _Takao Kazunari." The principal's voice rang over the speakers once again, reaching everyone's ears within the gym._

 _Kazunari did his best to regain the seriousness within him and followed the ideal example of a graduate. "Yes!" He yelled and walked towards the woman clad in a light red kimono holding his diploma. The raven took it and bowed. Walking back in the line, he couldn't help but to grin widely. Truth to be told, he never expected he would make it. The fact that he had finally graduated high school with Shintarou made the butterflies in his stomach grow in numbers and size._

 _In the school grounds students had spread out on every corner of the area after exiting the ceremony, talking, hugging and taking pictures. Shintarou and Kazunari had taken their goodbye with their former classmates and now they where just simply walking around, enjoying each other's company._

 _Kazunari let out a long yawn and stretched his arms over his head. "Ah, finally we're out of that cramped gym. I thought I would suffocate." Suddenly, he began to laugh. "Did you see the new wig Himoru-san wore today, Shin-chan?" No response. "…Shin-chan?"_

 _Shintarou had stopped under one of the many sakura trees and looked at Kazunari as he turned around to face the taller one. Kazunari's silver eyes held an unusual confusion when he closed the distance between them._

" _What's wrong, Shin-chan?" Kazunari asked, looking into the other's green orbs._

" _I… I'm moving." Shintarou whispered and looked away from his former light's gaze. "I'm going to America, to study medicine…"_

 _That was when Kazunari's heart fell to his knees, the fall was hard and it continued to throb even though, it couldn't fall further. His face was expressionless, and he continued to stare at his Shin-chan who still couldn't look back at him._

 _Suddenly, he felt two long arms close around him. Kazunari's eyes shoot open. He felt his cheeks heat up from the unfamiliar warmth he had always longed after. His shattered heart began to pick up its pace and in his glossy eyes tears began to form. Hesitantly, he gripped the back of Shintarou's school uniform and he began to weep onto his chest._

" _I will come back one day… Kazunari…" Shintarou whispered and held the smaller male closer._

" _I…" Kazunari's breath hiccupped. His heart raced faster at the sound of his first name through Shintarou's lips. "I…"_

" _I'm sorry…" Something soft and moist touched Kazunari's right cheek and before he knew it, the pleasant warmth had left him. He dried away the last tears with the hem of his sleeve and watched the tall figure walk further and further away._

" _I will wait for you." Kazunari whispered, even though his former shadow was out of his sight._

* * *

Five years later…

A cheerful dark haired adult exited one of the many convenience stores in Tokyo, with a wide smile plastered on his face. In each of his arms he carried two white plastic bags that were seemly full-packed with groceries. The heaviness of the bags didn't bother him as he hummed a little tune while making his way down the abandoned street.

Takao Kazunari's hair had grown in length, but his height hadn't changed all that much, to his own disappointment. He wore black sweatpants and an orange hoodie, around his neck a headset rested on his shoulders.

Kazunari never really cared over what he wore outside his apartment, especially when it was just the weekly walk to the convenience store nearby.

A few minutes passed as he reached the bottom of a staircase, resting on the side of a tall apartment building. He almost ran up the steps leading up to each and each floor. After jumping up nearly eight sets of stairs, he reached the corridor leading to his apartment. Kazunari continued to walk until he stopped by the door in the far end. The door was painted in a light beige colour and on a silver plate, his family name along with the apartment number was engraved with black letters – "405, Takao".

Kazunari shifted the two bags from his right hand to his left, and with his available hand he fumbled in the pocket of his hoodie after his key. Finding it, he unlocked the door with a click and turned the knob. He pushed himself inside using his foot to hold the door and when he was inside he let out a deep sigh. Locking the door behind him, he carried the heavy plastic bags to the small open kitchen area.

The apartment consisted of a living room – which was overly cramped since the kitchen counters took up almost one third of the space –, a bathroom and one bedroom. Even though the place was small, Kazunari wasn't complaining, it wasn't too expensive and just the three rooms he had was enough.

After putting away all the groceries, he threw away the now empty plastic bags and rolled his aching shoulders, back and forth, back and forth. 'God, I miss my years as a teen' Kazunari thought and chuckled.

Shaking these silly thoughts out of his head, Kazunari walked over to the couch and let himself fall down to be embraced by the soft cushions. He purred as he snuggled into the pillows. Then again, he remembered why he actually sat down on the couch and sat up followed by a groan.

On the small table in front of the couch there was a messy layer of paper covering the surface. You could hardly see the table itself underneath and some of the papers had slid down on the floor, making the floor impossible to see as well.

Kazunari looked through his old study materials and felt overly happy that this would be the last time he would see them and their companion, the damned books. Just last week, he had miraculously passed the final exam and he had never been so happy in five years.

Stocking the papers in three tall towers, Kazunari threw one and one in the paper bin, feeling satisfied to finally get them out of the world. After carrying the overfull bin to the door – in hope that he would remember to take the trash later –, he crawled back over to the couch and threw himself on it, face and stomach first.

Settling down in a comfortable position, Kazunari took a deep breath and let his body relax into the warmth the cushions provided him. "Finally~" he mumbled into the pillow he was resting on. "Five damn years with studying finally over. Now, it's just to apply for a job…" He thought it over again. "Apply…"

Kazunari realized he was far from reaching a complete adultery life and it made his mood instantly drop like a rock falling down from a cliff. He made a mental note to himself to search for an available position in one of the hospitals in Tokyo from tomorrow on.

He smiled and turned around to lie in his back. "A hospital, hm." Kazunari looked up at the roof in deep though, looking almost lost. "I wonder which hospital Shin-chan will be working at…" He hummed and closed his eyes. "That is, if he kept his promise."

* * *

 ** _Fuuwaaa, a little introduction to what will be a long and heartwarming story, I hope at least~_**

 ** _Thank you for reading and feedback/reviews are very much appreciated w_**


	2. Chapter 2

In an little house in California, Midorima Shintarou went through his bedroom one last time, opening the drawers and looking underneath every furniture. He was breathing heavily when he opened the last drawer, revealing nothing. This was the third time he looked through his old bedroom, but Shintarou could never be too sure. After all, he had been living there for almost five years.

In those years he had been studying Medicine at David Geffen School of Medicine. Since all the subjects where taught in English, Shintarou had to take an extended English course while taking his regular classes. Luckily for him, there was a teacher with Japanese origin at the school. Therefore, Shintarou learned the medical terms in English and his mother tongue.

Walking out of his room and into the living room, the card boxes with all of his belongings which he had spent long time fully filling, were being carried out the door by his host family. There was only a few boxes left on the floor.

"Have you finished going through your room, Shintarou?" His host mother asked in English when she spotted him in the room.

"Yes." Shintarou replied. Back in high school he got the best grades in the English subject, unlike most of his these five years in the US, he had learned the English language fluently. It would be a strange change of pace to come back to Japan and only speak Japanese again.

"That's good," the woman smiled and headed to the door. "Can you help us with the last card boxes, dear?"

Shintarou nodded and grabbed two card boxes, which was the maximum amount of boxes he dared to carry at once. After all, more than one third of his belongings were lucky items.

* * *

"Take care, Shintarou." His host mother said. Her eyes were wet with tears and her mouth was slightly trembling. Yet, she smiled brightly at the young adult. "Remember to call us every week, ok?"

They had just arrived at the airport in New York and stood now by the security control, where they had to part ways. Shintarou had just checked his baggage, which was a medium sized suitcase with his essential belongings. The rest of his belongings in the card boxes were already sent ahead by the moving company, so they did not have to worry about them for the time being.

The small family of two stood with Shintarou. His host mother had hugged him several times already, even though she knew Shintarou was not fond of hugs. However, Shintarou did not mind at the moment. Her husband reached out to shake Shintarou's hand. "We will miss you, Shin." He said and let go of the other's hand.

"Thank you for letting me stay in your home and taking care of me." Shintarou said and bowed deeply. "I promise I will call every weekend, Karen."

She smiled at him and lightly brushed his shoulder. Shintarou gave them a genuine smile before heading towards the long line of people in queue for the security control. He watched the people he had spent his first years of adulthood with walk away and out of the airport.

The queue was moving extremely slowly and Shintarou was growing inpatient. He checked the time again. _12:45. I have still got 3 hours before the plane departs._ Looking past the security control, he spottet a nice-looking dining place. _I guess I can have a snack there before I head over to the gate._

* * *

Arriving at the gate, Shintarou quickly spottet an available seat next to an old lady. Walking over to the row, he coughed awkwardly before asking; "Is this spot available?". He asked in English, since he guessed the woman was not Japanese based on her looks.

"Yes, of course. Have a seat." She said and smiled. Smiling back, Shintarou seated himself and laid his lightly packed bag by his feet.

"Pardon my rudeness, but are you Japanese by any chance?" The old lady asked after a while. Shintarou looked up surprised by the sudden question and nodded. "Really? I guessed so since you look so Japanese." She had changed from talking in English to talking in Japanese. It was not fluent Japanese, it was not bad at all.

Shintarou smiled and had to ask back, "How about you?"

"Me? I'm actually from New York. However, my husband is Japanese and to be honest, before I met him I knew nothing about Japan." She chuckled before continuing again. "I travel back here every second month to see my friends and family. After living in Japan for so many years, I still do not speak Japanese fluently I am afraid."

"Ah, t-that's fine." Shintarou stuttered. "I think your Japanese is very good. It is a difficult language to learn after all."

"Thank you." She said and before she could say anything more, an announcement was made over the airport speakers. The female voice announced that our plane has started boarding. First in English, then she repeated the message in another language that was most likely Spanish.

"It was nice talking with you, young man." The old lady said before she carefully rose from her seat. "I hope you will have a nice trip back home."

"Thank you." Was all Shintarou managed to say before the woman turned away and walked over to the mass of people in front of the booking desk.  
Gathering his things, Shintarou went and lined up in the very long queue.

* * *

When Shintarou managed to reach his seat aboard the airplane, it was still 15 min till the plane would depart. He found his phone in his jacket and quickly typed a message to his host mother and his host mother that he was safely on the plane and was waiting for departure. This was something he was raised to do every time he was out traveling.

As he was scrolling down his list of contacts, he spotted a familiar name. _Takao Kazunari..._ They had barely texted each other since Shintarou announced he would be moving to the US. _He do not even know that I am coming back..._ For a moment he considered about letting him know, but in the end he shut off his phone and put it away in his jacket.

The voice announced that the plane would depart in less than five min and went over the safety instructions before wishing the passengers a nice flight. Shintarou leaned back in the seat and sighed, but could not help but to smile. _I'm coming home... Kazunari._


	3. Chapter 3

Clutching the folder in his hands, Kazunari paced back and forth outside in the waiting room of Tokyo Takanawa Hospital. He stopped his nervous pacing for a while to check the time on his cellphone. _8:57… Three minutes till the interview_. Kazunari woke up around 6 o'clock in the morning and was not able to fall asleep again. Which was a rare incident because he would usually fall asleep again in an instant. Obviously, this only showed how nervous and anxious he was for loosing this opportunity he had miraculously received.

Trying to calm his nerves, he leaned against the wall by the reception and looked around him. At this time of day there were not many people in the waiting room. Mainly because a lot of people is still asleep and yet have not woken up with a feverish feeling. It was a Saturday after all. However, those ten to fifteen people in the waiting room, looked miserable. One old man was coughing uncontrollably and his face showed he was in a lot of pain. Kazunari clutched his fist. _Why haven't he been called in already!?_ He gazed over at the three nurses sitting behind the counter. They were either talking in the telephone, tapping on the computer keyboard or doing both at the same time. One of them suddenly looked in his direction and gestured him to move closer to the counter.

"Our employer, Arakida-san, is ready to interview you, Takao Kazunari-san." She said as she hung up on the phone. "One of our nurses will show you the way to his office." Picking up the cellphone again, she called a number and hung up after a while without speaking a word. Within a few seconds, a short girl dressed in white nurse clothes appeared beside him. Whispering a few words with the nurse behind the counter, she turned to Kazunari. "Follow me," was all she said before turning her heels towards the swirling staircase in the open area outside the waiting room.

When they reached the second floor, she lead him down the hallway that looked more like inside of a business headquarter than a hospital. On each side of the hallway there were rooms that looked similar to an office, with windows in the walls and the door so anyone could look straight into the office if the blinders were open. Kazunari could not help himself but to look inside every window of every office. _I wonder if he's here…_

"We are here, Takao-san." The nurse's voice suddenly said.

"Eh?" Kazunari looked straight ahead and realised they had almost reached the end of the hallway. "Ah… Thank you."

"Arakida-san's office is right here." She knocked on the door in front of them and opened it after hearing a low 'Come in' from the inside. "Good luck." Was all she said before disappearing.

The office was strangely dark and dull compared to the rest of the hospital. In front of Kazunari a broad oak desk was placed in front of the window in the end of the room. Behind the desk sat a man dressed in an seemingly expensive black suit, with brown eyes and an expressionless rather share face. His stare was so intense that Kazunari's nervousness just levelled up to the point where he was sweating.

"Have a seat, Takao-san." The man that was most likely Arakida said as he grabbed his pen and writing pad.

When Kazunari managed to nervously walk over to the small chair in front of Arakida, he bowed deeply before sitting down.

"So Takao-san," the elder said. "I see you have finished nursing school with grades above the average. However…" He flipped to another page on his writing pad and looked up. "Your grades in high school was rather disappointing."

Kazunari tried to swallow down the lump in his throat. "I-I was playing basketball during my high school years. Therefore, I was more or less focused on basketball than my grades or anything else." He laughed, but Arakida did not seem to find it amusing. Kazunari turned the laugh into a cough and quickly apologised. _Dammit, this is bad!_

Arakida turned some more pages and began writing on his writing pad. The sound of the pen on paper made Kazunari anxious and he began to fiddle with the hems of his suit jacket.

"Do you have any experience with elders and children?" Arakida asked, looking up from his notes.

"Yes, I have an younger sister, whom I used to babysit a lot when she was younger. My grandma died ten years ago due sickness, so my family and I went to visit him a lot and tend to him when he didn't have anyone to look after him. Sometimes, I would stop by his house after practice to check up on him."

Arakida hummed and continued scribbling on his writing pad. "The knowledge of how to act and tend to elders is important as a nurse. I hope you already know this from your years of education at the nursing university." Kazunari nodded. "However, it is just as important to be able to communicate with children and teens. What actions would you take in your first month as a nurse?"

"I would make sure that those who need urgent treatment are prioritised. I want to make sure that the children are entertained in a way that makes them forget their illness."

Arakida hummed again, this time it actually sounded genuinely positive. Kazunari took a deep breath. _I can do this. I can do this. I can do this._

An hour later, Kazunari could finally breathe out as he walked out of Arakida's office. After being thrown in a sea of questions the rest of the interview felt four times longer that it actually was. Kazunari was sure he had answered them as good as he could and Arakida told him he would contact him later that day.

On his walk to the exit, Kazunari met the nurse who had followed him to Arakida's office in the hallway. She was pushing a little girl, probably around 10 years old, in a wheelchair. When the nurse noticed him, she smiled. Kazunari smiled back to her and then to the girl when she noticed his presence. The kid looked up at him with wide eyes and then shyly looked at the floor. _Cute._ Kazunari chuckled.

When they had passed him, Kazunari was left with that quite familiar fatherly feeling lingering in his mind. Whenever he thought ' _Ah, I want a son or a daughter_ ' another feeling would pop in his mind, _yearning_. Shaking these unnecessary thoughts and feelings out of his mind, he focused solely on returning home. _Ah, I was going stop by the convenience store. I hope I remembered to bring the list with me in the rush this morning._ Rummaging through his pockets after the little piece of paper, he only located his phone, wallet and the house key. _Agh. I probably left it at the kitchen counter…_

Since his family was known for having a bad memory, trying to remember the contents of that list was out of the question. _I guess I have no choice but to run errands before dinner_. Unless he had any leftovers he could eat for dinner, that was.

* * *

The time was around 6pm when Kazunari pushed himself through the outer door and into his apartment. He dropped the two plastic bags he carried on the floor and bent over to take off his shoes.

"Tadaima" Kazunari huffed as he picked up the bags and went to the kitchen. Today's walking had taken a toll on his body and now he would very much like to just lay down on the sofa and watch a series on his laptop. Luckily, he had some leftovers from yesterday so he did not have to spend a lot of time on preparing something, which meant his wish about relaxing on the sofa could become reality. The reason why he had decided to go shopping before dinner, was solely becasue he knew he would be to lazy to go anywhere that late.

After sorting out the groceries to the fridge and the cabinets, Kazunari heated up the leftovers from yesterday in the microwave and seated himself in the couch. He turned on his laptop and went to check his mail first, in case Arakida had sent him a mail regarding the job position.

As he opened his mail, his heart picked up it's pace when he indeed saw an new mail, from no one other than Arakida. Kazunari could feel both joy and fright swell up in his chest. _What if I didn't get it? It was my first interview, it would make sense that I didn't get it. But, what if I got it? What if this is the hospital Shin-chan will work at? What of it isn't?_

He took a deep breath and hesitantly moved the mouse pointer towards the unopened mail. Counting down from five he opened the mail.

" _Dear Takao-san_ ,

 _Thank you for applying for the position as a nurse at Tokyo Takanawa Hospital. After your interview earlier today, I, the head of the nurses, have decided to offer you the available position as a nurse at Tokyo Takanawa Hospital. I would every much like to receive your acceptance of this offer before midnight_.

 _If you are accepting the position, your first shift starts Monday next week at 8am. You will receive a complete list of your shifts that day. We look forward to working with you_.

 _Sincerely_ ,

 _Arakida Takashi_ "

"Yes!" Kazunari could not help himself but to yell the moment he finished reading the mail. _I got it!_ He immediately began to compose a new mail as an acceptance of the offered position. _I need to tell mom the good news as well_ Kazunari wrote the reply as formal as he could possibly make it on his own and pressed send.

After sending the acceptance to Arakida and a text to his mom, Kazunari remembered his untouched dinner on the coffee table. He began eating his now cold curry and watched an episode of an american drama series he was pretty much addicted to by now, after only three episodes. He was still feeling the butterflies in his stomach after receiving the job. _I hope this is the hospital, Shin-chan._ Kazunari chuckled. _It better be._


	4. Chapter 4

Midorima Shintarou paced quickly through the busy hallways of Narita Airport, with his grey suitcase rolling behind him and his bag over his shoulder. He checked the clock on his phone for the umpteenth time since he picked up his suitcase. _09:30AM_. His train would be leaving in 10 minutes and he was surely more than 10 minutes away from the train station.

Since his plane landed as early as 08:10AM on a Tuesday morning, his family had not been able to get permission to leave work or school to pick him up. Shintarou told them several time that he was fine with taking the train, even though the only train which would take him to the station closest to his childhood home left the station at 09:40AM. Just 1 hour and 30 minutes after the plane landed. He knew it would be a lot of stress and trouble, but he did not expect that it would be as bad as this. In the end, after a lot of arguing, his mother took half a day off such that she could pick him up at the station.

In the end of the long hallway, he finally spotted the staircase leading to the train platforms. The clock above the hall showed that it was thirty-five past nine. _I've still got some time._

Within those last five minutes he managed to find his train on the departure table, rush to the given platform and seat himself before the whistle was blown and the train started moving.

Shintarou sighed and made himself comfortable by taking his jacket off and place his suitcase on the shelf above his seat. There was only around ten people in the passenger car with him. Everyone was either busy with their cellphones or their laptop, completely silent.

 _That reminds me..._ Shintarou thought and pulled out his phone from the pocket of his jacket. He unlocked it and started typing a message to his mother.

 _"My plane landed on schedule and even though I was rushing to the train, I made it. Could you buy me some groceries on your way to the station? I'll send you a list later. I think I will be at the train station around 11:05am."_

Shintarou read the message over two times and when he was satisfied, he pressed send and put his phone back in his pocket. Leaning back in his seat, he moved his gaze to the window.

The trains had already reached the countryside and the endless green fields flashed before the window as the train moved past the scenery in 130 km/h. Shintarou could almost feel his distance from his friends and family getting shorter and shorter as the train moved on.

After looking out the window for a while, admiring the scenery, his eyes began to itch of tiredness. He had barely slept on the plane as there was a woman with a child beside him. A child who apparently didn't like traveling by plane.

Shintarou checked the time on his phone. _09:55. There is still an hour left to Tokyo. If I am right about my family, there will barely be time to take a nap at home._ In the end, he concluded that a short nap on the train would solve his tiredness for some hours.

* * *

Slowly waking up, Shintarou opened his sore eyes and took off his glasses to rub the sleepiness from his eyes. He looked around him. After he fell asleep, there were significantly more than ten people in the passenger car like there had been when the train left Narita. Now there was a couple sitting in the seats in front of him, and an old woman in the seats on the other side of the aisle.

Outside the window, the scenery had changed from green fields to small houses built close together. It didn't take Shintarou many moments before an uneasy feeling built up in his stomach. _Where are we?_ He found his phone in his jacket and checked the time. _10:55._ A small relief, however he still did not know how close they were to his stop. Looking at the screen above the aisle listing the stations, he spotted his station being two stops away. _I was lucky to wake up now and not later._ Which reminded him that he hadn't yet checked his horoscopic ranking on _Oha Asa_ this morning. (Even after all the years, Shintarou did always check his horoscope for Cancer's lucky items for the day). Judging from his luck now, he figured Cancer had to be high on the list today.

After passing the stop before his own, Shintarou began to prepare himself to get off the train. He got up from his seat and pulled his suitcase down from the shelf above him. Judging from the weather seen from the window, he figured he wouldn't need a jacket. Throwing his backpack over his shoulder and his jacket over his arm, Shintarou walked down the aisle towards the exit.

As he was waiting for the train to reach his stop station, he heard a soft _pling_ from his jacket. However, just when he had found the pocket with his phone in it, the train pulled for a stop and the doors opened. Shintarou forgot about his phone for a moment as he grabbed his suitcase and walked out the door and into the fresh air of Tokyo.

Reaching one of the benches on the platform, he went through his things in case he had forgotten something on the train. Assured that he hadn't, he turned his attention back to his phone. When he finally got a hold of it, his home screen showed a message from his mom 3 minutes ago, as he had predicted.

" _I am outside the station now. I haven't bought any groceries since you didn't send any list. You fell asleep on the train didn't you? We can stop by the store on the way home if you aren't too tired"_

Replying with a short _"I'm on my way out now"_ , Shintarou put his phone back in his pocket and began to walk towards the station's terminal.

::

Shintarou's mother was waiting with her car right outside the entrance to the terminal. When she saw her son again, she almost cried of happiness. She ranted on about how much she had missed him, how much more handsome he had gotten over the years, and that she wouldn't even recognise him if it wasn't for his unique hair colour.

It took them 10 minutes to get his suitcase in the trunk and his backpack in the backseats in between all the talking. Soon enough they were on their way out to the main road, and on their way to the grocery store.

::

Even though Shintarou was still tired even after his short nap on the train, he somehow managed to go through the store with his mother. Something he always would find boring as a child, but have gradually grown custom to the necessity of it. Shintarou picked out the stuff he wanted, and his mom payed for them. A treat he would soon say goodbye to as he would soon move out to an apartment when he finds a suitable one. His mom was thinking the same.

"You have to go and buy groceries on your own soon, Shintarou." She said and giggled. "Ah! That reminds me. I have been looking into some apartments for you. I have some ads I found in the newspaper at home if you wanna look at them."

Shintarou placed the grocery bags in the trunk of their car and turned his mother. "Thank you, Mother."

"Anytime, Shintarou." She smiled back at him and seated herself in the driver's seat. Starting the car, they headed home to the Midorima residence.

* * *

The rest of the day went by the speed of lighting. When Shintarou and his mother came back home, they stocked the groceries in the fridge and afterwards Shintarou merely walked around the house, letting his feeling of homely coziness build up in his mind and body. He walked from the kitchen, to the living room and to his room. There he spend the rest of the afternoon looking through his old lucky items.

Later, his sister came home, along with his father only a few minutes after. The rest of the evening after that went with Shintarou telling his family about everything that had happened in his life since last time he was there, which was Christmas last year.

Being as tired as he was, Shintarou went to bed around 10pm and as he laid in his own bed, he thought about his future. Trying his best to imagine it. A doctor. In Tokyo. His own apartment. Maybe he could afford a house later on. A cat, and Takao Kazunari. _You won't leave my future imaginations, will you?_ He chuckled softly. _I want to see you, Kazunari. As soon as possible. Or rather, now._


End file.
